


Golden Flowers and Red Kisses

by DarkMage13



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Artist Ben Solo, Author nerds about artistic endeavors and copyright law, Eventual Smut, F/M, Finn is the local soulmark expert and the only sane man, First Kiss, Goddess rey, Lawyer Kylo Ren, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Overly Dramatic Rey and Ben, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Soulmates, Rose is the outgoing goddess, Safe to Read if Triggered by Pregnancy, Smidge Of Angst, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, almost love at first sight, becuz it's Reylo they're walking disasters, excessive amount of flower descriptions, insecure rey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:15:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27806674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkMage13/pseuds/DarkMage13
Summary: The Goddess of Flora was content to be single for the rest of eternity. She had seen enough heartbreak and pain over the soulmarks mortals experience. She was lucky deities didn't have to worry about such things, for they didn't get soulmarks, ever.Until the universe decided that Reydidget a soulmark.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 30
Kudos: 42
Collections: Reylo Readers & Writers - The Marvellous Moodboard Event





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Eirenare](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eirenare/gifts).



> For the Reylo Readers and Writers Marvellous Moodboard Event! This is the lovely moodboard I wrote for! Thank you so much for inspiring the Soulmate shenanigans XD

Rey prided herself on her private gardens. Up high on a skyscraper pushing against the endless blue skies, her garden sprawled across a roof. Her flowers and bouquets and arrangements were legendary. Praised for their beauty and perfection and small imperfection, like one rosebud being too small or a petal stained with an odd color. Her prized possession was the one flower that she cultivated for literal centuries. Thin see-through lotus-like petals fading to solid golden color with flecks of red painted along the way. The Goddess Flower. Highly sought after by romantics all over.

Being the goddess of flowers herself, Rey felt a certain pride in how she could recreate this experiment over and over and people would appreciate it tenfold. The money she was paid for went straight to charity, due to no need for it. Rain or shine, her flowers would bloom as long as she was content.

Content was not the same as happy, however.

Rose, goddess of the sun, ironically, considering her name and what Rey’s name meant, decided to pay a visit to her high-rise apartment in Manhattan.

Rey was putting on her usual ensemble in her suite. A simple sleeveless pink dress, easy to lounge in, and tend to her garden. Before she could check the mirror, Rose was already at her front door.

“Hi hi!” Rose greeted, bursting in with her bubbly, bright sunshine joy. “Last night’s party was amazing.”

“Tell me more,” Rey said, reaching for her trusted gardening gloves and leading Rose to the outside in her sprawling garden with potted trees and rows upon rows of flowers. Rose took a seat on the comfy lounger. Rey reached for the watering can and began to hydrate her flowers.

Rose went on and on, detailing the party gossip of the previous evening. Two people got into fistfights, one was making out drunkenly with another, and turns out the two who everyone thought hated each other’s guts were caught sneaking out the back, half-dressed.

Rey found it easier to listen to a rundown of the extroverted get-togethers Rose participates frequently in. She was the social butterfly, while Rey preferred to stay in her cozy apartment reading about the wonders of the world, how society works, how mortals think, and sometimes if she was brave enough, read about soulmarks. 

Soulmarks were common enough. Mortals and _only_ mortals got them. They matched each other somehow, a visual representation of the one they loved. It was a lovely fairytale to have, to read. Rey liked indulging herself in them, even if she cannot experience it herself. After all, deities don’t get soulmarks. Ever.

In her opinion, she was best off without a soulmark anyway. Who knows how disappointed they would be with her if they found out a small, pathetic goddess of flora was their destined soulmate. She crushed the handle of her watering can at least once, thinking too hard about the downsides of soulmates. She’d seen enough dramas to know it would never end well for her, ever. The last movie she had seen killed off the protagonist’s soulmate after he gave his life for her, leaving her alone on a desert wasteland, right where she started. No thanks.

“What’s that on your wrist?” Rose said, stopping smack in the middle of a story that Rey lost track of two flower types ago.

Rey glanced down at her wrist, barely covered by her glove, and saw a little speck of blue with a black edge. She shifted the cloth up and dropped her watering can.

Inked in the most beautiful detail was a blue butterfly, wings tipped and veined in black. Danaus plexippus—monarch butterfly, the most common of butterflies she’d seen often in her gardens. The question though, was why she had a butterfly perched on her skin like she was a flower herself.

This small symbol on her wrist didn’t get here until today and she hadn’t noticed. Dread pooled in her belly and she was dizzy and sick. She stumbled away, forgetting about the leaking watering can, trying to make sense of it.

“Whoa whoa, easy there, Rey,” Rose placed a hand on her shoulder, guiding her to sit down and take off her gloves. Rose saw the butterfly up close and personal. “Wow, a soulmark.”

Rey shook her head, tears threatening her eyes, but she willed them away. She would not be reduced to a pathetic sobbing mess because of a damn butterfly. “No, it’s not a soulmark; deities don’t get soulmarks. They just… Don’t. We don’t.”

Rose looked at her with a hint of pity. “Or deities do get them, we just have to wait a long time.”

Rey really wanted to cry now. “That’s… No. No, I can’t, Rose. I have no idea who it even is.”

“Then we need to consult an expert on soulmate stuff,” Rose said, getting oddly excited, “You’ll feel better once you have details. It’s fine, my friend from the party last night is a specialist in soulmate sciences and laws.”

Rey didn’t really have to think about laws involving soulmates. Deities didn’t have to worry about laws in general. They were outside of it entirely. 

Rose went to grab her purse from the foyer and make a call to the soulmate specialist.

And Rey, Rey continued to hold back tears as she glared at her wrist with the offending blue butterfly forevermore stuck to her skin.

* * *

Within hours and trying to watch Netflix and not think about her soulmark—to Rey’s utterly pitiful failure—Rose’s acquired soulmate expert had arrived.

The man at the door was known as Finn. He was mortal, clear as day from his aura, but seemed untouched by the severe drama caused by the downfalls of soulmarks and the damage they could do upon many people.

“Hey, Rose!” Finn greeted with a wide smile, stepping into Rey’s apartment, glancing around. He let out a low whistle. “Your friend has a nice place. And she keeps her plants alive better than my soulmate.”

Rey wanted to bury her head into a pillow and cry. Of course, the soulmate expert had one of his own. He wouldn’t understand the sheer terror and reluctance, for he will think it is the best thing ever possibly. He hadn’t suffered the heartbreak yet.

Finn sat down on the couch across from Rey and Rose. “So Rose told me you have a soulmark. Congratulations!”

Rey didn’t feel like it was worth celebrating but she nodded along anyway and muttered a small thank you.

“You also don’t know who it could be either,” he said. “Soulmarks can appear at random even though you’ve never seen your soulmate or interacted. What does it look like?”

Rey extended her wrist, the monarch blue butterfly still perched in her skin. “Danaus plexippus,” she said.

Finn dug around in his satchel and pulled out a book with the title of _Soulmarks: Possible Symbols and What They Mean_ and flipped through the pages. “The blue butterfly can mean life, rebirth, spiritual healing, and sometimes even love. They’re considered rare to appear in most places. They can also represent sadness due to their color.”

Oh, that wasn’t an omen whatsoever.

“There’s also black in your soulmark, I wonder if that means anything as well,” Finn said. “This butterfly is a monarch butterfly, which symbolizes royalty and nobility. Though blue monarchs don’t exist, soulmarks often don’t always reflect reality and prefer to indicate something else. Now, my conclusion based on your soulmark, your soulmate will bear something that butterflies tend to, like flowers. Any ideas on what the color would be?”

Rose piped up. “Rey here grows the most beautiful red and gold flowers. You might’ve seen the Goddess Flower.”

“Can I see one?”

Rey nodded, numb as she walked into her garden and picked up a potted Goddess Flower and brought it in, and set it on the coffee table.

“Wow, I’ve heard of them but never seen one up close,” Finn looked it over in fascination. “It’s beautiful. I’m assuming we should look for this flower then. Somewhere on the arm or wrist because of the placement of your soulmark.”

She blurted it out without thinking. “I don’t know if I even want to find my soulmate.”

Finn’s eyes widened, his lips curling in thought. “Hmm, nervous?”

Rey shifted her sleeve down to hide her mark. “Maybe.”

Pathetic flower girl. Pathetic flower goddess. When she was once mortal, the words of naysayers and cruelty sunk into her soul, and refused to let go. Her worth was only providing temporary happiness to others.

Finn gives her a reassuring, warm smile. "It's quite alright. It's normal to be nervous about meeting your soulmate. Usually, people don't know what to expect."

Rey didn't have the heart to say that, she did in fact, know what to expect and it was rejection.

"There is a database where people upload their soulmarks. I can search for what you're looking for." Finn scrolled through his phone. "A golden flower with flecks of red, right?"

Rey nodded. "I cannot think of anything else."

Finn scrolled and scrolled, inputting what she assumed were keywords to narrow the search. She wondered how many people uploaded photos of their soulmarks to this database.

"Aha! I found a match." Finn presented his phone screen to her and Rey's stomach sank with dread.

It was her Goddess Flower, inked on a rather _large_ arm, right at the wrist, matching her placement. The photo barely showed much else, the angle preventing any other identifiers.

"And just your luck, it was uploaded a few hours ago, which means they're eager."

Shit.

"I will send you the information about your soulmate to your phone. And I will give you a run-down of what this all means, legally."

Numbly, Rey took out her own phone and gave her email to Finn. Within minutes she had all the information provided on the database.

_Kylo Ren._

_Age 29. Male._

_Soulmark: golden flower with small bursts of red. Forearm._

There was a link to his LinkedIn profile and she was afraid to click it.

"When you're ready to meet him, let me know," Finn said. "I can make it go as smoothly as possible."

Rose reached for her arm. "This is so exciting! Thank you, Finn. Good thing you didn't have to wait long Rey."

Rey swallowed. Her life was becoming one of those dramas and she would suffer as the protagonist.

* * *

Left alone for the day, Rey laid on her bed, ignoring the hell out of that LinkedIn profile. She couldn't find it in her to open it and see what her soulmate looked like. What he did. Where he possibly lived. Why was the world so cruel to her as to curse her with this? Was it not enough she was just a flower goddess and not an important goddess like Rose or Kaydel.

But, as Rey is always hungry for information, she rolled over and grabbed her phone and without a second thought, opened up to Kylo Ren's profile.

Oh, gods.

He had no right, no reason whatsoever to look _that_ good in a suit. And that was just his profile picture.

Rey gawked. He had dark, wavy hair that caressed his neck. He filled his suit and tie to the brim, his shoulders broad. For whatever reason, his scowl wasn't a turn off but rather elicited a response in the goddess that made her cheeks burn and made her squirm. _Fuck._

She observed his profile. Copyright attorney for First Order Inc, a massive, massive entertainment business. Currently based in New York. Right where she was. She could walk out onto the street and potentially run into her soulmate and oh gods she didn't want that. If she was meeting him, she would be prepared for the inevitable rejection beforehand.

To ignore how her life took a sudden and dramatic turn, Rey opened to Instagram and dug through posts from her favorite photographer, B.C.S. He photographed flowers and plants in modern spaces frequently, displaying their beauty belonged even in a digital, modern age. His lighting was always just right, either sunrise or sunset.

His posts stopped a few years ago, but they always brought a smile to her lips whenever she was down.

She failed to notice as she fell asleep, one post had a drawing of a blue monarch butterfly in a frame next to a potted fern.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey, quite literally, bumps into her soulmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the love on this fic! It means so, so much!

Rey awoke to a notification on Instagram from B.C.S. She sat up in her bed and eagerly opened it up, heart fluttering in excitement. A bright spot in her otherwise sad and blue week.

Then her heart sank to the earth’s core and she wanted to be swallowed by the sun, all of her molecules vaporized. The universe decided to be even crueler to the goddess for no particular reason.

The photo he posted showed her flower, with the golden color painted with flecks of red on the tips of the lotus petals, inked into his forearm, above his wrist. A golden sunray illuminated the colors in such a vibrant way it stole her breath.

She started crying.

Her soulmate was her favorite photographer.

Then she eyed the caption.

_ My soulmark in the form of a mythical flower. I cannot wait to meet you. _

Her brain honed in on the mythical flower part and disregarded the other implication. Her blood boiled and she jumped out of her bed in anger. Mythical?  _ Mythical? _ She and her creations were not make-believe or mythical or made up! The fucking nerve of B.C.S or Kylo Ren or whatever the hell his name was. Her flower was not a myth; it was fucking real, thank you very much.

Then something else prickled at her brain. B.C.S. was Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren was a copyright lawyer. A bloody copyright lawyer. Not an artistic photographer who could capture the simplistic beauty in nature.

With a huff, she sent a DM request to set the record straight. He was searching for his soulmate (for her, she corrected in her mind, but she didn’t want to be found, not until she was prepared to be left behind) so he would have his DMs open in case anyone who matched saw his soulmark.

All thoughts of Finn’s statement of her soulmate being eager were abandoned. She had to inform Kylo of his ignorance.

_ It’s not mythical,  _ she typed out and sent in a message.

_??? _

_ The flower on your arm is not mythical. It is real, thank you very much. _

_ Wait, what? It’s real? _

Rey rolled her eyes. Her soulmate must live under a rock. Her flowers were everywhere in the city, bought as soon as they’re restocked.

_ Yes. They are. _

_ Huh. I had no idea. _

_ Well, now you do. _

_ Are you my soulmate by chance? Since you know about the flower on my forearm. _

Rey cringed at herself. Shit, she shouldn’t have said anything. Now he knows. Why was he ignorant yet sharp enough to connect the dots? She could just say no, but when she tried to type those two letters, she couldn’t send it. She couldn’t outright lie about something like this. 

_ I am merely messaging you to inform you of your ignorance, sir. _

_ Consider me informed. You haven’t answered my question though. Is that a yes or a no? _

Damn him.

Rey closed Instagram and got out of bed in a huff. She dug around her closet for a dress that didn’t bear her forearm—which wasn’t that many, she preferred having her skin free to soak up the sun—but she found a long-sleeved blue lace dress that happened to make her soulmark blend right in. Rhinestones of gold and white were arranged in the pattern of a bunch of ageratums, a lovely flower with thin strands for petals that formed little bursts. 

Once she slipped on the dress, she went out to her garden and carefully prepared her ready Goddess bulbs to be sold at her shop across the street. Along with the Goddess Flower, she also had hyacinths, lupines, and perennial flaxes to deliver. Perennial flax flowers were difficult to cultivate but well worth the reward of their voluminous cushiony petals. 

She carried the box of goddess bulbs about to bloom first, making sure they were safe and sound at the shop first before moving her other flowers. Outside of her building, she walked down the street, sneaking quick glances at the box to make sure her precious cargo was not in any danger. 

Something rather firm made her drop the cushioned box.

Rey let out a squeak as her toe, uncovered by her short heels, was the poor victim. Her weight thrown off balance, she fell forward and her ankle hit the edge of the box. She braced herself to hit hard concrete.

She hit something hard alright, but it was nothing like cold concrete. It was warm. And it held her by the arms.

“Watch where you’re going,” a deep voice snapped at her, shocking her out of the reverie. 

She looked up in defiance, about to tear the asshole a new one because he should also watch where he was going, but her tongue froze in her mouth and the world stopped.

It was him. Her soulmate. Kylo Ren. B.C.S. The man who called her flower a damn myth and had a scowl on his face that seemed ingrained in there for years. Yeesh.

Her eye twitched as she shoved him off and recollected herself, her soulmark burning on her forearm. “I could say the same for you,” she muttered, taking a step back, her ankle shaking for a moment. She glanced down at her box and the clay pot inside was intact from the bubble wrap cushion she put underneath it. Her goddess bulbs were rattled but unharmed by her trip.

His eyes followed hers and widened at the cargo. “They’re real…”

It all confirmed her suspicions. All of them. This was the same man who did all those elegant yet simplistic photos of all sorts of flora. She crossed her arms. “Of course they’re real. I grew them. Would you like progress photos? Is that enough for your doubting mind in a world where soulmarks exist?”

He regarded her with a tilt of his head before he glanced at her forearm. She squirmed and turned her wrist more inward to her chest to hide her butterfly. His eyes were molten amber in color, like a precious gemstone created with intense heat. It caused her cheeks to redden, how he was looking at her. It was maddening.

“No, no thank you.” He took a step to the side, about to walk away. “Do you need assistance?”

“No, good day to you, sir.” Rey picked up her box and with her ankle on fire, began walking across the street.

“You absolutely sure?” he said, almost mocking her with that amused tone. Why was he following her? The more she was in his presence, the more likely he would see her blue butterfly and she didn’t want to deal with that right now. Or ever.

“I’m sure,” she said, keeping her pride even though she wanted to commit murder with the stabbing and burning sensation.

He was peering over her shoulder, trying to get a good look at her forearm. 

Not today, sir.

She stopped on the other side of the street and shoved the box into his arms, putting his ridiculously broad shoulders to good use. The flex of his brow in surprise was amusing enough. She twisted her arm away from him, hiding her soulmark where his nosy eyes couldn’t see.

“You can carry it then since you’re the reason my ankle hurts like a bitch,” she said. “We’ve only got a block to go.”

He frowned but re-adjusted his grip on the box. “Of course.”

She hobbled her way by his side, careful to keep her arm out of his view. Upon closer inspection, his presence by her side made her look like a tiny flower perched next to a redwood. That thought went straight between her legs; the wonder of what else he could do with those massive hands besides carry her precious flowers… Maybe even carry her, the living equivalent of a flower herself.

But that’s what he would expect of her, wasn’t it? Sit there and look pretty. Take up space in a room but not too much room. Brighten up the area without being intrusive. 

“What’s your name?” he asked. 

“Rey,” she answered without a second thought.

“Rey,” he tested the name on his lips, and it sounded like reverence, like he was glad to say it, and would say it again.

“What’s yours, grumpy man in a suit?” 

He hesitated for a moment, still walked forward with the box in hand. “Kylo Ren. I work at First Order Patents.”

“Ah, a lawyer then, no wonder you look perpetually grumpy,” Rey remarked. The deep-set frown on his face would easily be explained by existence as grueling and soulless as the profession he chose.

“And I’m assuming you’re a gardener? Or florist?” Kylo said. “Judging by your cargo.”

“You could say that.”

They arrived at the shop.  _ Goddess Floral _ was written in big golden letters on treated deep pink-painted wood above the door. Rey limped to the door to open it, Kylo walking in and setting the box on the counter.

“Anything else, Rey?” he asked, looking at her with an unnerving curiosity.

She felt heat rise to her cheeks under his gaze. “No. Thank you.”

“You sure? You limped your way here. You might want to get that checked out.”

Rey shook her head. “I’m fine.” The burning said otherwise. “I can walk back to my apartment, no big deal.”

“Then stop leaning on the counter for support. I will walk you back.”

She tightened her lips in a fine line. “I don’t need any more of your help, thank you.” She took one step forward and regretted it, crying out as she lost her footing again and ended up in his arms for the second time in less than twenty minutes.

Kylo was looking at her with visible disappointment. “You should go to the ER.”

Rey rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. I just need to go back to my apartment. Please let me go or I will kick you in the balls.”

It seemed he was hell-bent on not listening, for he ignored her request—the ass, she even said please—and placed his arm underneath her knees and was now carrying her bridal-style in his very strong arms. Did he also work out to fill these suits? Why would a lawyer need to be this stupidly strong?

The shop owner walked out of the back, spotting the box of blooms on the counter then Rey in the strange man in a suit’s arm. “You okay, Rey?”

“She needs proper care. She tripped and hurt her ankle on her way here,” Kylo explained, leaving no room for Rey to speak her piece. 

“Maybe I wouldn’t have tripped if someone wasn’t staring at his stupid phone while walking…” Rey muttered.

He let out a  _ snort _ and Rey absolutely did not take note of how adorable it was. "I'm taking her to get it looked at."

"Just take me back to my apartment," she demanded. "I just need ice and to lay down."

The shop manager laughed. "As long as you're in capable hands, Miss Rey."

"She is," Kylo said with an undercurrent of amusement.

“Your ego is the size of the Empire State Building,” she grumbled.

Kylo took her outside and carried her across the street back to her building as per her directions, ignoring how passersby were gawking. Some people even had their phones out, taking pictures of the woman in blue lace with rhinestone flowers being carried by the massive man in an expensive suit and tie.

What an image they must make.

His endurance had to be deity-like, for he carried her for the duration of the elevator ride to the top floor. She observed his face, dotted with small moles, his lips pouty and full, his nose large but fitting his face just so, and his hair so thick and luscious it made the goddess green with envy. What product was he using and where could she get it?

He seemed to be very deep in thought, which it wouldn't surprise her if he was a deep thinker. He had that intensity set in his jaw and his eyes. Why the universe gave her such an intimidating and huge man, she had no idea, but it wasn’t totally unappealing. 

She handed him her keys to her high-rise apartment and he carried her all the way to her bed, putting her down and moving the skirt of her lace dress up just enough so her ankle was sitting out.

“Do you have any ice in your freezer?” Kylo asked, looking over her foot and grabbing a small pillow to elevate it.

Rey nodded. “Yes. Can you also brew me some tea? There’s a canister labeled “goddess fruit” in my cupboard.”

Kylo nodded, leaving her on the bed, and, for some strange reason, rushed out to complete his task as soon as possible.

Rey sighed and laid back into her cushion of pillows. She sent a text to Rose.

_ What are the odds of me literally bumping into my soulmate on the street? _

Rose’s response was ever predictable.

_ OMG, that’s amazing. What are they like? _

_ He’s… _

Rey glanced up from her phone, a blush rose in her cheeks.

_ He’s a cocky ass. Has nice hair tho. _

_ Did you tell him you’re his soulmate? _

_ No. _

_ Reeeeeeey, hon, why? _

_ Because I didn’t ask for a soulmate, Rose. _

_ But he’s looking for you. He uploaded all of his info as soon as he got that soulmark. _

Rey thought back to the Instagram post. Shoving aside the insulting mythical flower remark, something else he said jumped out at her,  _ I cannot wait to meet you. _

A frustrated groan escaped her lips. She grabbed a pillow and shoved her face into it. 

_ He’ll be disappointed, Rose. I know it. I cannot let him know. _

She closed the text chat and contemplated her life choices, as one did.

A cold weight pressed against her ankle, forcing a jolt out of her before she relaxed at how nice the ice soothed the dull pain. Rey withdrew the pillow off her face and saw Kylo standing over her, looking like a snack in his jacket.

“The tea is steeping as per your very thorough instructions,” he mumbled. “You don’t need anything for pain?”

“No,” she said. “I have a high pain tolerance. I’ve endured worse.” Emotionally, but he didn’t need to know that particular detail.

He frowned even deeper at that. “I’m sorry.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t pity me. Most injuries I get are from rose bushes.” Rey expected him to leave and go watch the tea, but instead, he sat down next to her, his weight dipping the bed. Why was he still here? Why was he so concerned about her? She wasn’t even his soulmate as far as he knew, he literally just met her an hour ago.

“Rose bushes?”

“A rose has thorns. Mess with roses and they fight back.” Rey let out a hollow laugh. “Like my friend Rose. She’s nice and bubbly and soft but make her mad and you will get pricked and it will be all your fault.” Thus, she didn’t share the tidbit that Kylo was responsible for her ankle injury, or else Rose would have shown up in ten minutes ready to throw hands.

He still seemed stoic, like he couldn’t even smile once aside from being cocky. “She sounds like a force to be reckoned with.”

“In more ways than one.”

_ Beeeeeep, _ the timer for her tea sounded. Kylo got up and left the room to prepare a cup of tea for Rey. He returned and held it out for her and her fingertips brushed against his for one brief moment and sparks of electricity shuddered through her. Her heart pounded. Both of their eyes were wide. They both felt it. Taking a sip of her tea, immediately the dull pain of her ankle faded away, but the fire burning within her heart remained. His hands were so large yet soft. It occurred to her when he held her in his arms less than half an hour ago.

Fuck, she shouldn’t be falling for him already. Panic rose in her chest. She had to get rid of him now; get the disappointment over with. People always leave. This would be no different.

Before she could roll up her sleeve though, he opened his pretty mouth.

“You sell flowers for a living, right?” he asked, genuinely curious about her profession.

“I grow them and sell them, yes,” she said. “It’s kinda silly. Very silly to a lawyer, right?”

“On the contrary, I think flowers are wonderful for expressing words that are difficult to get out otherwise. So, I ask because um…” Kylo reached up to run his hand through his hair and Rey had to bite her lip before she licked it. Her thirst could cool it for a few minutes. “I want to get something for my potential soulmate if I meet them. What do you recommend that goes with your flower?”

The fucking  _ irony. _ Rey wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. He was asking about arrangements involving her own damn flower.

“Why do you want the Goddess Flower for your soulmate?” she asked. “It’s… Golden and not real according to some people.”

Without hesitation and with zero shame—he might as well have torn off his own shirt and bared his chest for her—he rolled up the sleeve of his expensive suit. “This is my soulmark.” He presented the offending inked flower. Golden with flecks of red. Even more beautiful in real life than in a simple photo. He ran his fingers along the mark in reverence and tears welled in her eyes.

She looked away, trying to not cry. Time to rip the bandage off. She rolled up her sleeve and bared the blue butterfly to the man.

The expectation was a scoff. Disregard. A rejection.  _ Just the flower goddess. _

Instead, his fingers were on her soulmark.

“It  _ is _ you.”

She frowned, ignoring how wet her eyes were. “What?” Looking back, he looked so… Happy? Relieved? Why? A smile was curling on the edges of his mouth.

“I had my suspicion when I saw the flowers in the box, and you’re so… Magnetic and beautiful, I had to be sure. Also, your name on Instagram is reyofflora.”

Dammit, she was terrible at hiding her tracks. “So you’re B.C.S.”

He nodded, his fingers still on her blue butterfly. “I am.”

“I find it hard to reconcile the image of an artistic photographer with a copyright lawyer.”

He took the remark with a simple shrug. “Artists need to know enough copyright law.” A bitter sadness laced his statement. “Either way, you’re my soulmate. It’s nice to meet you, at last, Rey.”

Rey was dizzy. No no, why wasn’t he leaving? Why was he staying? Why wasn’t he scoffing at the fact his soulmate was a flower goddess. Oh right, she would have to explain  _ that _ part to him later.

Oh, gods what if he tried to  _ kiss  _ her? That was a disaster waiting to happen.

It was too much. Too much. She couldn’t take this right now.

“Please leave.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo seeks help with his love-life issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some artistic license with law here because I am not a copyright lawyer who deals with the stuff that Kylo does lol so I'm pretty sure I pulled half of this out of my ass.

“For fuck’s sake Dameron. You’re lucky you’re my only friend or else I would have fucking punched you by now.”

Kylo Ren’s life was routine. Get up. Inhale coffee—black with a barely-there sweetener—put on his suit and tie, go to the office, and slave away at paperwork until he went home and regretted his life choices. Copyright law wasn’t terribly interesting. Most of it for a big corporation was being iron-tight whenever a new trademark had to be added or checking usage rights for photos or merchandise and frequent cease-and-desist notices. Rarely was it ever exciting. There was a twinge of envy he had to be the lawyer on the absurd Omegaverse copyright dispute, but upon researching further decided it was better to send the lawyers and judges involved sympathy cards. He liked to take on smaller clients here and there when time permitted and Snoke wasn’t on his ass, which was once in a fortnight.

But it was mind-numbing. A part of him missed being able to take photos, sketch, or calligraphy. Snoke told him to shove those activities aside and focus on law school. The only stress relief Kylo ever got was awkward one-night stands. Artistic endeavors were a distraction. They prevented him from becoming as good at his profession as Kylo was. He was able to loophole and name off entire sections of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act by memory, destroy anyone who even committed a shred of infringement, and in the case of Empire Pictures, shut down shops selling unauthorized merchandise. Guilt panged at his hardened heart every-time he had to take care of those cases. He knew that it would only hurt the shops, but the company, nor the laws, cared in the slightest.

His days were not helped by the fact he was perpetually single and soulmarkless, which meant he would frequently get coaxed by Poe Dameron to go out to meet other perpetually single soulmarkless people. Most people got their soulmarks in early adulthood or even younger, but Kylo never got his, and he was resigned to never get one.

Soulmarks weren’t that big of a deal anyway. He could live without it.

“Come on Kylo,” Poe said, leaning on Kylo’s desk, an erratic mess of papers scattered in organized chaos. “You need to get out. Meet people.”

“I have work, and you know I don’t like people, so why, _why_ did you RSVP me to my own mother’s party?”

“Because Snoke is working your ass to the bone man and your mother is concerned.”

He scoffed. “Oh, _now_ she’s concerned… She just doesn’t like my boss.”

“And who could blame her? Look, go for an hour, eat the food, we all know Leia has the best food at these things, then you can go home and sulk in your bed and think about how someone tried to own tropes in a romance erotica genre or something.”

What an existence to live. “Fine. When is it?”

“Details are in the email. Your mother will be happy.”

And there was that guilt again.

Poe left, and Kylo continued his work for the next few hours, packing up and leaving to go home and pass out, as per usual.

He put on a new Netflix drama about a couple on opposing sides of a war who have matching soulmarks and have to come to terms with it. Even with war standing in the way, the couple grew to understand each other and eventually fell in love. Kylo’s heart ached, thinking about how it would be… Quite nice to have someone who was meant for him. A person the universe decided that they were compatible for his grumpy ass.

* * *

That was a pipe dream.

When he awoke, he nearly had a heart attack.

In golden lines upon his pale skin with light sprinkles of red was a flower-shaped like a lotus. Kylo stared at it in wonder, examining every petal and line of ink. His soulmark. He had a soulmark.

It took him about fifteen seconds to register what that meant.

  1. There was someone out there with a soulmark matching his.
  2. There was someone out there meant for him.
  3. He had no idea what to do with this information.



Scrambling out of bed, Kylo reached for his phone, forgoing his professional camera equipment until later. He had to upload to the soulmate database as soon as possible. Snapping a photo, he uploaded it to the database and put in all his information, including a link to his LinkedIn.

He flopped back onto his bed, adrenaline rushing his veins. He couldn’t stop staring at his soulmark, admiring the ink embedded into his skin. What could they look like, he wondered. What were they like? Fiery? Kind? Judging from the flower, the person had to have a soft side, but the red indicated boldness and passion.

It was then the mask of Kylo Ren faded away and sensitive, artistic Ben Solo came out. The insecurity settled into his mind. What if they didn’t want a soulless asshole lawyer? What if he was just a disappointment? His emotions were felt with all of his being, consuming him with the strength of a hurricane. What if he was too much—he was too much for his own parents—for his soulmate? What if his _love_ was too much for his soulmate? What would he even _do_ upon meeting his soulmate? What if he scared them away?

But this soulmark was the first time he felt hope in years. _Years._ The overwhelming need to create, to do something with his hands that didn’t involve signing boring as hell paperwork, overtook him.

Kylo jumped up from his bed and went to work, his attention elsewhere as he mindlessly pulled out a new copyright contract to fill out.

* * *

The photo he posted to Instagram was the hallmark of being rusty. He had to figure out how the hell to use Lightroom again, he awoke at five am just to catch the right lighting and took a nap after he snapped the photos of his soulmark after spending thirty minutes struggling to find all of his equipment and setting it up.

Walking along the streets of New York, he pondered what the match would look like. Digging through his old Instagram portfolio, the only one he could think of was the blue monarch butterfly. They didn’t exist; they were as real as the flower on his forearm.

Though, that reyofflora person on Instagram was suspiciously direct about her irritation about him referring to the flower as _mythical._

And then he bumped into _her._

He was annoyed she wasn’t watching where she was going, but upon closer inspection, she was so beautiful he forgot to breathe. Hair falling in chestnut waves, hazel eyes to compliment her light smattering of freckles, a blue lace dress that conveniently matched his favorite blue hue that hugged her lithe frame.

And she was carrying a box full of that flower. _The_ flower lay into his arm for life.

She snapped at him and was full of fiery pride, and Kylo was gone for her. He hoped, oh how he hoped to take a peek at her forearm and spot that blue butterfly. 

Which is why, now, he was utterly crushed by her words. Sitting on her bed, examining her soulmark, the one that matched his, the one that made him _hers._

And she was asking him to leave.

“What?” he questioned in his confusion.

“Please, I need time to myself.” She looked so solemn, so full of sorrow. Did he do something wrong?

Heart aching, he respected Rey’s wishes. “Right. Um. I will go. You know where to find me.”

So he exited her apartment, mulling over why she asked him to leave. And then the thought hit him. Just because he was enthusiastic about his soulmate doesn’t mean she was.

That was sobering.

* * *

He sent a text to Poe to meet him at Maz’s.

“I have a soulmate,” Kylo said as soon as Poe sat down in front of him.

Poe raised an eyebrow before a ridiculously wide grin formed on his face. “Congrats man! Do you know who they are?”

“Yes, she’s… Perfect. She’s stubborn and beautiful and fiery and I think I might be in love with her already. The thing is, she, uh, kicked me out of her apartment and I don’t know what to do.”

“Did you say anything that offended her?”

Kylo was good at many things, but talking was not one of them. “I hope not.”

“Maybe she’s just not sure about what it all means. She doesn’t really know you.”

“I’m giving her space, but what if she never contacts me? What if she…” His eyes were like glass. The impending tears were being choked back. He would not cry, not now, not when everything is so up in the air still. “What if she doesn’t want me as her soulmate?”

Poe placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s fine man. Calm down. I know a soulmate expert. He can help you. Let me give you his number.”

Kylo blinked back the tears. “Thank you.”

* * *

An hour later, the soulmate expert had arrived. According to Poe, the expert’s services were worth paying for. He knew about the relationship struggles with having a soulmate, especially ones that neither person really knew.

Sitting down at their table, the soulmate expert extended his hand. “Hi, I’m Finn, soulmate consultant.”

Kylo felt a bit ridiculous he was speaking to a soulmate consultant about his love life issues, but this was important. Rey was important to him. He cringed when she limped to the flower shop and her pride prevented him from giving her the care she needed sooner.

Shaking Finn’s hand, he introduced himself. “Kylo Ren.”

“So, Poe told me you’re having soulmate issues? Did you meet them?”

Kylo nodded, moving to roll up the sleeve of his jacket. “Yes. I met her.”

“Does she have a name?”

“Rey.”

Finn’s eyes widened. “Wait, wait, did she have a blue butterfly soulmark?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Huh, I spoke to her yesterday. I led her to the database and well, I guess she did find you.”

“It was by chance, I bumped into her on the street.” 

“Ahh, she wasn’t prepared. She expressed that she was scared to meet you. But, let it be clear, it has nothing to do with you.”

That was so reassuring to Kylo. “You sure she doesn’t want a soulless lawyer?”

"Please, I have seen people love others regardless of profession. Anyways," Finn pulled out his phone. "What else happened?"

"She tripped and hurt her ankle, I helped deliver her flowers, I took her back to the apartment and got her ice and tea, and we revealed our soulmarks to each other, and then she just asked me to leave."

"Well, good on you for listening to her. Hmm, I would give her time. Maybe prepare a gesture of some sort."

"Like what," Kylo said, with a snark rolling off his tongue, just like an Organa-Solo would. "Send her flowers? Her entire apartment is flowers."

"Well, what do you do for a hobby?"

It took him a moment to remind himself of the things he used to do, his passion, his drive, before burying it deep to reach his potential. With a deep sigh, Kylo listed his artistic endeavors. "I used to do photography, sketching, calligraphy…"

Finn took it in stride with a nod. "Then write her a letter with your calligraphy. Reassure her that you're prepared to put in the effort and emotional investment to make the relationship work between you," Finn said. "I can hand-deliver it if you want."

"Maybe for the best, for now, I highly doubt she will want to see me." Kylo took a large swig of his drink, saddened but also determined to smooth things over with the one hopeful thing going for him in his life.

Rey changed the status quo and turned his whole lifeless existence upside down and Kylo was okay with it. She came in with a swirl of golden flower petals and planted thoughts into his head and suddenly the world was full of color and he wanted to actually call his parents once things were less uncertain and tumultuous with Rey. He wanted… Something. He felt there was _something_ to strive for. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/DarkMageXIII) Where I post wips and updates and yell about things.


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